Is Starbucks Really Green or Just Greenwashing (Free Coffee and BYOMug on April 15th!)
OK, I will admit. I love Starbucks as much as the next person because they are conveniently right next to my work, and the people there work really hard. I know, because I did my time as a barista in college. But the other day, a friend posted a Facebook update promoting the Starbucks “Make a Difference” April 15 Free coffee campaign. Hmm…I thought. How do you know they are not greenwashing?
So I checked out the site for a closer look. It’s a cool, with lots of touchy feely media, videos and messages like this one: “One person can save trees, together we can save forests.” Wow! I can do that, just by bringing my paper cup?
I sometimes preach that the power of one is all it takes. But, when a company as big as Starbucks does an initiative like this, I have to stop and ask the question. Is this greenwashing? Because, ya know, they use a lot of filtered water, aren’t exactly cutting down energy use as far as can be observed in a regular weekday morning. They absolutely won’t turn down a customer if they want to buy a paper cup and plastic top with their coffee.
On the positive side, it wouldn’t be so bad if customers actually bought reusable mugs in the spirit of saving forests. If Starbucks makes a profit from the mugs, more power to the triple bottom line.
After a little friendly banter on Facebook, I hedged on this one. Social pressure maybe? I have to say that if anything, Starbucks is taking a step forward and not a step back.
What do you think? Green washing or plain ol’ green marketing? Leave a comment below.
